At the centre of the stage is a tree, surrounded by the kind of chabutra seating area seen in villages, where people gather to talk. It immediately conjures a rural setting. The village in Saurabh Nayyar's NAAM MEIN KA RAHWO HAI? is fictional, but the women at the core of it are dressed in colourful ghagra-choli-odhni costume of the Hindi belt. They also speak in a rural dialect, not urban Hindi. It also happens to be a village, where women have acquired some kind of agency-once a year on a full moon night, they are free to choose a mate. It also follows that they can reject a man who does not fulfill their wish list. The men have to offer a resume of their accomplishments, and the women are not easily impressed.
What happens if three women (Sarika Singh, Ketaki Thatte, Niketa Saraf) pick the same man? The village elder, Somavanti (Tina Bhatiya), decides that they will tell stories, the condition being that the story must be a lie, and the one who comes up with the best falsehood wins. Fond of complicated riddles, she sets to one decide who goes first. The stories the women come up with are fanciful, but all have the seed of a woman's truth buried in it.
In one, a government employee (Nikhil Yadav) comes to 'Woh gaon" to give it a name, so that it can appear on the map and in official records. His process of voting is ridiculed by the women who want to know how he can make any decisions on their behalf-everything has to be put to vote, as it should be in an ideal system. A queen, fond of music, married to the king (Rigved Singh) immersed in war training, challenges him to a duel. A female farmer cannot win a contest, though she has all the answers right, because traditional thinking discounts women's work and disregards their expertise.
Through riddles, stories, humour and songs (live music, designed by Rigved Singh and Amey Ghule), NAAM MEIN KA RAHWO HAI? raises the significant point about a women's right to choose, not just a husband, but also the life she wants to lead.
Using a story-within-story format, Saraf and Nayyar (who also plays Premi) have written an insightful and witty play, which makes sure never to preach. It was a delight to hear dialogue spoken and songs sung in clear voices. Increasingly, actors (untrained for the stage) are found mumbling inaudibly even at venues with excellent acoustics.
(Deepa Gahlot is a journalist, columnist, author and curator. Some of her writings are on deepagahlot.com)
